Yellowstone Star Kevin Costner

‘Yellowstone’ Generates Staggering $730 Million in Spending in Montana, Study Finds

Kevin Costner’s massive hit Yellowstone is having an amazing effect on Montana. According to a new study, it generated hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism revenue in 2021 alone.

The Paramount series, which is based near the MT portion of Yellowstone National Park, apparently caused about 2.1 million people to flock to the area that year. While exploring the beautiful sights captured on screen, those people managed to spend $730 million.

The University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) conducted the study along with its Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITTRR) and determined that the series was one of the biggest marketers for the state.

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BBER first completed a 2022 study that found Yellowstone significantly boosted the MT economy. Then after extending the study to look at its impact on tourism, the researchers found that the Golden Globe-winning series was helping more than they knew.

“Extending our previous analysis to include the impacts of tourism spending was eye-opening,” said the bureau’s director Patrick Barkey, per Daily Inter Lake.

“Film is an economic driver of tourism, and the Yellowstone TV show has demonstrated the power of Montana’s American West image to influence people to visit the state,” added ITRR’s director, Melissa Weddell.

‘Yellowstone’ Has Boosted Montana’s Economy in More Than One Way

But the visitor revenue isn’t the only money Yellowstone brought in. The state also saw an economic boost from film production spending, which included $44.5 million in state tax revenues and $376 million in income from MT households.

There was also around $1.1 billion in output, or gross receipts, of local business and nonbusiness. The production brought in over 10,200 jobs across several different industries as well. Because of the heightened economy, 3,305 people moved and stayed in the state.

“Everything from food services, hotels, rental companies, and transportation services to high tech and skilled trades such as electricians and carpenters, are benefiting from the film industry’s activity in the state,” Todd O’Hair, president and CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce, shared. “It is also clear that ‘Yellowstone’ has proven to be a big economic driver of tourism, creating more jobs, tax generation and a wave of economic activity.”

You can learn more about how the series aided the state by reading the entire study, titled Assessing the Impact of the Yellowstone’ Television Series on Montana’s Tourism Economy on UM’s website.